And here comes the glass-free display case!
Lausanne — "It's phenomenal — it's the first display case that puts itself on stage!" Jean-Claude Biver (57), CEO of Nyon-based watchmaker Hublot, was effusive in his praise yesterday at the unveiling of the Raptor display case, a revolutionary concept developed in French-speaking Switzerland. A display case with no glass! The effect is indeed astonishing: placed on an elegant monolith, the displayed object vanishes in a flash into the base of the unit the moment any foreign body approaches. This retractable system draws on the latest technologies. Price per unit: approximately CHF 10,000.
"We absolutely wanted to develop a glass-free concept," explains Xavier Dietlin, CEO of Dietlin Artisans Métalliers, based in Romanel-sur-Lausanne. "It was important that the product be perfectly visible — as if you were holding it on your wrist, 20 centimetres from your face."
In practice, an array of infrared detectors surrounds the displayed object. The moment the beams are broken by a foreign body, an audible alarm sounds and triggers the immediate withdrawal of the object at a speed of 2 m/s. A reaction time of one tenth of a second makes the object virtually impossible to grab. "It is very difficult to steal the watch," Xavier Dietlin confirms. The electronics and robotics behind the concept were developed by Fiveco and Bluebotics SA, two start-ups based at the EPFL Science Park.
Jean-Claude Biver was in fact insistent that Raptor be presented at this location: "This is where the future is being made," argued the former member of the Swatch Group executive board.
In exchange for financing the project, Hublot holds two years of exclusivity on the use of these high-tech display cases. Raptor's first public outing is scheduled from 30 March to 6 April at BaselWorld, on the watchmaker's stand.
